Author Archives: danieldschell

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About danieldschell

I'm Daniel Schell, Chicagoan, Twitter fiend, and picture taker. I like sunsets, travel, and long walks through construction sites. If you build it, I will come.

60 East Benton tears up a parking lot for MDA 2

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https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EJX6QFVlk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The parking lot at 60 East Benton that used to be next to the parking garage that used to be at 50 West Randolph is no more. Confused? Suffice it to say Chicago has successfully erased another surface parking lot from existence, right next to a parking garage that was recently demolished.

The above Instagram post from Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture announced back on January 8 that MDA 2 was on its way. 60 East Benton sits along Wabash Avenue between the Parkline construction site to the south, and Elephant & Castle to the north. The latter occupies space at ground level of MDA City Club Apartments, to which MDA 2 will be connected by a sixth-floor pedestrian bridge.

January 30 saw a foundation permit issued by the City of Chicago, allowing for work to begin for seven stories and 81 units. As you can see in the photos, site prep is underway.

 

 

Stuff That’s Done: 210 North Carpenter

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210 North Carpenter is 12-story, 200,000-square-foot office building in the West Loop. Developed by Sterling Bay, it is a design by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. 210’s most important tenant is Leopardo Companies; they were the general contractor, and moved their Chicago offices here upon the building’s completion in March of 2019.

1000M foundation work pivots to piles with caissons complete

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No longer on site.

Caisson work is complete at 1000M in the South Loop. Now, foundation work continues as piles are driven and earth is moved. In fact, the pile driving might be done; I didn’t notice the Keller rig I saw earlier this month still on site Sunday with which to pound them into the ground.

A tower crane permit was issued January 16 for 1000 South Michigan, so that’s another milestone to keep an eye out for. I wish could say I spotted the caissons sticking up out of the ground that I think will be the crane’s location, but I ain’t that smart. I’ll keep guesses, assumptions, and speculation to myself.

The basics on 1000M: Designed by Helmut Jahn. James McHugh Construction is the general contractor. There’s a three-member development team — Time Equities, JK Equities, and Oak Capitals. It will be 74 stories and 832 feet tall, and if you live there, I will invite myself over constantly. Now you know that.

448 North LaSalle got its tower crane stub, and it doesn’t disappoint

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You can’t hide from me.

Looks like the crew from Pepper Construction, the concrete contractor at 448 North LaSalle, was busy this past week. Just as we hoped, they’ve got a tower crane stub in the ground to get Midwest Property Group’s 13-story office building going vertical.

Lendlease is the general contractor on 448 North LaSalle. Generally, we only shout-out the GC for tower crane cred here. But since tower cranes are what we care most about, aside from a nice hot breakfast, it’s been decided the concrete crews should get a lil more love, too.

Back to stubs. This ain’t no ordinary stub. In fact, in my short construction-obsessed existence, I don’t remember seeing a tower crane planted with more that one section of tower before. Comparatively, this one’s huge. And yellow. She’s gonna be a pretty one when she grows up.

iPhone only for this visit. That fencing is high and tight. (That means I couldn’t get the real camera over or through.)

Chicago’s *newest* newest tower crane is ready to send Panorama vertical

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Rush’s reign as newest tower crane was short-lived.

Panorama, at 3300 North Clark in Lake View, is on the board as the newest kid on the block, having completed assembly of its tower crane last week. Power Construction is the GC here; Adjustable Concrete Construction is doing the concrete.

 

167 Green Street drops its 2nd tower crane

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The Banner waves as the West Tower Crane at 167 Green Street comes down.

With the removal of the second tower crane from 167 Green Street, Chicago now has no two-crane construction sites. There are a pair of three-crane jobs of course, at One Chicago Square and Cirrus/Cascade, but no pairs.

McDonald’s, Vista Tower, One Bennett Park, NEMA Chicago, Woodlawn Commons, and The Lincoln Common all recently utilized the double-tower-crane method to get stuff done. Now, 167 Green Street joins that list of completed missions.

Sunday, I took a quick walk around the West Loop site for one last look at the red Manitowoc MR608, affectionately known as West Crane, as crews worked on bringing it back to earth.

Stuff That’s Done (And Already Changing): The Mason

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The Mason is a 13-story, 263-unit apartment building in the West Loop that began its life known as 180 North Ada. The L-shaped structure was designed by Brininstool + Lynch for Marquette Companies, with Power Construction on the build. The Mason opened to residents in Spring 2019.

Last week, the Chicago Plan Commission unanimously approved a zoning change for The Mason:

The Applicant is proposing to rezone the property from the current Planned Development #1384 to Planned Development #1384, as amended, to allow for a restaurant and tavern use to be established on the ground floor.

Helping move Restaurant Row further west in the West Loop is a good thing for hungry Chicagoans.

Stuff That’s Done: Twelve01West

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Twelve01West is a new office building at 1201 West Lake Street in the West Loop. It’s a favorite around here ever since developer McCaffery Interests lit up the tower crane back in the winter of 2018. Its ground floor also offers Chicago’s best spot to get your coffee fix and your bicycle fixed, Heritage Bikes & Coffee.

Twelve01West is a seven-story building designed by Antunovich Associates. It has 135,000 square feet of rentable office space, almost 12,000 square feet of retail space, counting the aforementioned Heritage location, and 45 parking spaces. It opened in March 2019.

W.E. O’Neil was the builder. Their link includes a cool shot of that purple tower crane.

 

Progress Update: 800 Fulton

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800 Fulton. It could be 300 North Halsted. Or 801 West Wayman. or 303 North Green. But none of those have the panache of 800 Fulton.

And 800 Fulton (that link includes an Oxblue webcam!) keeps sprouting up from this West Loop block, thanks to the efforts Lendlease and crew. Have a look:

No time is wasted getting 808 North Wells ready for a 2nd chance

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A rendering from Berkelhamer Architects of what might have been at 808 North Wells.

A sales center built at Wells and Chicago back in 2016 for a future residential tower got a demolition permit February 10th so a new vision for the site could begin. And it didn’t take long to tear down the single-story building (it has also seen life as retail space) and rip the old concrete out of the ground. The new 808 North Wells is ready to roll.

808 North Wells was to be a 24-story condominium development from Smithfield Properties with 50 or so condos. The sales center got built, but the tower was never started.

Multiple reports in 2018, including stories by Crain’s and Curbed Chicago, has AMLI Residential looking to build an apartment project on the site. Both sources expected a 17-story tower with just shy of 300 rental units, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

If that’s the case, the northwest corner Chicago and Wells will be a blank canvas very soon. Taylor Excavating made short work of the lot, with just a little debris left to haul away, and then construction can get started.

My friend Liz sent me this photo back in April 2016 of 808 North Wells construction. Exhibit On Superior is rising in the background.